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數典忘祖

简数典忘祖 · 繁數典忘祖

Mandarin · pinyin shǔ diǎn wàng zǔ

to recount history but omit one's ancestors (idiom); to forget one's roots

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Characters in this entry

數: shù · number; several; count; fate
典: diǎn · law, canon; documentation; classic, scripture
忘: wàng · forget; neglect; miss, omit
祖: zǔ · ancestor, forefather; grandfather
数: shù · number; several, count; fate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–3 · shu3 dian3 wang4 zu3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

數典忘祖 · find source passages ↗ · 数典忘祖 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sou2 din2 mong4 zou2

Cantonese word readings for 數典忘祖. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to forget one's roots
(idiomatic) to be ignorant of the history of one's own country or ancestors

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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